Best Punching Bags

Seven Things You Can Feel Good About Punching

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Sometimes you just want to punch something.

Maybe you’re a boxer in training, stuck in traffic, or your boss said something that ticked you off (again). Of course, you don’t want that something to punch back, or break, or make a mess all over the floor. That would suck, as well as increase your odds of going to jail. Enter the punching bag.

When buying punching bag, a good one, there are some important things to consider. Is it durable? Is it convenient to move around? Can it withstand your powerful Hulk-like punches?

Not sure where to start? We’ve narrowed down the best punching bags and we’ll give you all the info you need — regardless if you want a great workout or to have some fun punching stuff.

Benefits

It's great cardio. Fighting is a serious workout — you’re throwing jabs, hooks, kicks, combinations, and practicing solid footwork while the bag gives you solid resistance. You can burn as many as 400 calories in a 30-minute boxing workout.

Works Your Core. Throwing punches while keeping your core tight and stable and maintaining your balance is a great way to strengthen and stabilize every muscle in your core.

Boost Your Punching Power. Boxers use punching bags to improve their techniques and the power of their punches. With practice, and improved technique, you’ll add more strength and explosiveness behind your punches.

Gives You a Full-Body Workout. Punching not only burns your arms and shoulders, but it also works your entire back, abs, and legs as you brace your entire body. (There’s a reason why punching bags are a staple in many gyms.)

Stress Relief. Any method of exercise is great for lowering stress levels, but you'll agree hitting something allows you to release a little extra aggression, anger, or built-up frustration when your Wi-Fi goes down.

Century Fitness "B.O.B." Body Opponent Bag

Best For: The "real" feel

What better way to release your anger, get in an excellent workout, AND punch something that looks like a real person? The B.O.B. bag is SOLID tool and helpful for learning self-defense because you can practice with various attack points on the torso. Also, you can adjust the height of the bag and add or remove weight by filling sand or water into the base.$269.99 at Amazon.com

EZ-Speedbag

Best For: Cardio, core stability, and technique-building

This speedbag is lightweight and easy-to-setup. If you have a doorframe, you have a workout. It has an 18-inch platform and it’s durable. Improve your timing, technique, and focus with a bag that brings a killer solid cardio workout in your house.$199.99 at Reashape.com

TITLE Wall Mount Heavy Bag

Best For: Core strength, stability, full body, and cardio

If you've got extra wall space, masonry walls or one with wood studs, this is an ideal piece of training equipment that's simple to install. Practice everything from uppercuts to knee strikes and kicks with this wall-mounted heavy bag. It’s durable and saves on space — just mount it and the fight is on.$149.99 at Amazon.com

Stress Buster Desktop Punching Ball

Best For: After long work meetings

This way you don't even have to wait until you get home to punch something. This way you can take the fight right to your desk and harmless throw a few combos after a passive aggressive email. The Stress Buster has a strong suction cup that can withstand a good punch. Just don't get too excited. You don't want anyone calling HR.$16.99 at Amazon.com

Title Boxing Inflatable Punching Bag

Best For: Easy cardio

This is one of those classic, bounce-back punching bags. It’s a great way to have some fun while getting in a little cardio, and it’s a cute way to get your kids to do a little boxing work too. It's compact and foldable and when you're ready, just fill it with water — make sure it's enough that the bag bounces back — and you'll have a sparring partner with a little bounce. $19.99 at Amazon.com

Boxing Reflex Bag

Best For: Stickin' and movin'

Boxing is really about your legs. Work your stance, side-to-side movement and even learn how to slip a counter punch with reflex bag. This one adjustable up to five feet and constructed with a steel base that can hold up to 60 pounds of sand or water.$96.37 at Amazon.com

Quiet Punch

Best For: Not scaring your neighbors.

The Quiet Punch is made durable with vinyl and soft cell foam that helps mute the thuds that come along with pounding a bag with 1-2's. But this doorframe mounted punching bag is also a great space saver and designed to take a hard punch without the use of boxing gloves. Founder Brian Pedone says it also uses built-in sensor technology so you can track your rounds, see if you’ve hit your goals, and even challenge your friends too. You can even live stream Quiet Punch workouts like this 3-minute one right from the website to get the most out of this bag.)$109.99 at QuietPunch.com

What To Avoid

Thankfully, you don’t need those big eyesore heavy bags like the ones you saw in Rocky anymore; technology has made them way more durable and efficient. Here are a few things to avoid when buying your bag:

Going Too Heavy On Your First Bag: Unless you're planning on challenging the winner of McGregor-Mayweather, you don't want to start out with a heavy bag because they do punch back. Or at least it'll feel like it. With traditional heavy bags, your hands can take a beating. Consider getting an under 80-pounder for your first bag.

Avoid Hanging Bags On Weak Structures: Hanging a bag from a ceiling that isn’t strong is just a bad idea. If you set it up incorrectly, you’ll tear up your home or garage and cost yourself a lot of money in repairs. If you don’t have a reinforced place to hang one safely, buy a bag with a stand.

Buying A Cheap Bag There are some great deals out there on punching bags (which we’ll show below), but if you go too stingy, you might be very disappointed. You plan to beat this bag pretty ruthlessly, so be sure you buy one that can withstand the use.

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